Emergency Response

Training: Start to Finish

April 08, 2011

Jim Fitzsimmons
Associate Director, Campus Recreation and Wellness
University of Nevada, Reno

The old adage ‘judgment comes from experience and good judgment comes from bad experience’ holds true in just about all facets of life. I find this especially true in how we train our staff members for everyday operations and emergencies.

Think about how you train your staff to respond to various emergencies, be it power outage, medical emergency or evacuation. What do you focus on? At what stage of the emergency to you start your training and where does it stop?

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Risk Management in Action

April 08, 2011

Five Elements for Successful Red Manikin Drill Implementation

Lori K. Miller, Ed.D., J.D.
Sport Law Professor
Sport Management Department
Wichita State University

Shelley C. Rich, M. Ed.
Associate Director of Programs
Aquatics and Risk Management
Wichita State University

Introduction

Recreation literature contains abundant publications addressing risk management and related topics, e.g., risk management plan design, training, implementation, evaluation, and refinement. Similarly, risk management topics often dominate recreational personnel discussions, e.g., meeting agendas, security considerations. However, the actual implementation, staff training, evaluation, and resultant policy modifications often present challenging dilemmas for recreational administrators confronted with risk management responsibilities. This article illustrates an effective risk management practice, i.e., the Red Manikin Drill, that can be adopted and implemented by campus recreation departments desiring to enhance their staff’s response and rescue effectiveness. Five areas important to the Drill’s short- and long-term success are identified below.

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A Proactive Approach to Heat Illness

April 07, 2011

Robin Whisman
Assistant Director for Injury Prevention and Care
Campus Recreation
University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Heat illness poses a serious risk to individuals engaging in physical activity, especially when exercising outdoors or in facilities that are not climate-controlled. Unfortunately, people are often unaware that they are at risk for heat illness until it is too late. Even in less-than-scorching heat, high humidity levels can impair the body’s ability to cool itself. At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Campus Recreation has adopted a proactive approach to dealing with heat illness that involves monitoring conditions, educating patrons, and closing facilities if conditions become hazardous.

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AFTER THE ACCIDENT

April 07, 2011

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT AFTER A MAJOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT

Chris Tapfer
Emergency Management Coordinator
Washington State University

INTRODUCTION
Each year students and staff participating in collegiate recreation programs log thousands of miles traveling to compete in sport club matches, outdoor activities, or extramural competitions. Even with the best planning, preparation, and procedures in place, the possibility always exists that a vehicle accident will occur and individuals could be injured. Until you have this happen to your program, you can never be sure what to expect and what the impacts will be. In a span of ten years, I have worked with two major vehicle accidents involving sport club teams. Each incident had different outcomes and each became the driving force for significant institutional changes for student travel.

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Emergencies in the Outdoor Recreation Setting

April 07, 2011

What Level of Training is Required?

David Patton, Assistant Director, Outdoor Recreation
Wayne Fett, Sr. Associate Director of Recreational Services
Molly Gable, Graduate Assistant, Outdoor Recreation
University of Iowa

Imagine yourself walking through a high alpine meadow in July: beautiful mountains rise up towards postcard blue skies; red, yellow and purple flowers paint the landscape with color as you hike in and out of green pine forests. You cross a stream and splash some glacial melt water in your hat to keep you cool as the afternoon sun beats down on you. Suddenly, one of the students that you are leading falls to ground. What do you do?

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